NEW YORK: Former US President Donald Trump met with former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso in New York on Tuesday, part of the Republican’s shadow diplomacy as he campaigns to return to the White House in November’s elections.
Donald Trump welcomed Aso to Trump Tower, one of the real estate magnate’s properties in New York, where he is currently on trial accused of falsifying business records to cover up a scandal with an adult film actress, according to AFP.
He is a highly respected man in Japan and beyond, somebody that I have liked and I have known,” Donald Trump said of Aso at the start of their meeting in a video shared on social media by his aides.
“We like each other and we will be talking about Japan and the US right now and lots of other things,” he added.
When he is not in court, Donald Trump has been talking to foreign officials and criticizing the policies of President Joe Biden, who defeated him in the 2020 elections.
In recent weeks, the Republican nominee-in-waiting has met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Ex-PM Taro Aso
A close ally of assassinated ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe, Aso is still considered a heavyweight in the ruling party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party.
During his presidency, Donald Trump played golf with Abe, whom he described as a “good friend” at the time.
Without directly mentioning his meeting with Aso, the former US president raged Tuesday about the exchange rate between the yen and the dollar — with the dollar recently reaching a 34-year high against the Japanese currency.
He said on Truth Social that it sounds good to stupid people, but it is a disaster for our manufacturers and others.
